It’s everywhere around Christmas, which is confusing because everyone claims this plant is poisonous.  As it turns out, the humble red poinsettia (or Euphorbia pulcherrima), isn’t poisonous.  In fact, the only people who should fear the poinsettia are people who have latex allergies or people who love to rub random things into their eyes.  The fact that eating it won’t kill me is one of the more interesting facts about the poinsettia dug up by Neatorama.

Crazily enough, the so-called Christmas flower isn’t actually a flower at all.  The poinsettia’s distinctive red blossoms are simply bracts of red colored leaves that develop.  The actual flowers are the tiny buds inside the bracts of leaves!

It’s amazing just how popular this plant is in the US.  The poinsettia is actually the most popular potted plant in the States, with over 85 percent of its sales coming in the holiday season.  This notoriously difficult to farm plant was made popular by Paul Ecke in the 1950’s, and the Paul Ecke farms produce half the world’s supply of poinsettias from a proprietary technique kept secret by the family until the 90’s.  Who would have thought that the poinsettia would be so interesting?

Tags: unusual plants, traditional plants, Christmas flower, poinsettia, Euphorbia pulcherrima, poinsettia urban legends, poinsettia facts, Paul Ecke

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